Did the US grow faster than other G7 countries?
Each bar is US growth per person each year, with price rises taken out, minus the median (middle) growth of the other six G7 countries, the group of seven large rich economies.
The US grew faster in 8 terms, slower in 1 term, similar in 3 terms.
US growth per person minus the G7 median in each term, points a year.
In the Reagan 1 term, from 1980 to 1984, US growth was +2.13% a year and the G7 median was +1.30%, so the bar is +0.83 points.In the Reagan 1 term, from 1980 to 1984, US growth was +2.13% a year and the G7 median was +1.30%, so the bar is +0.83 points.In the Reagan 2 term, from 1984 to 1988, US growth was +2.88% a year and the G7 median was +2.95%, so the bar is −0.07 points.In the Bush (H.W.) term, from 1988 to 1992, US growth was +1.01% a year and the G7 median was +1.90%, so the bar is −0.89 points.In the Clinton 1 term, from 1992 to 1996, US growth was +2.05% a year and the G7 median was +1.27%, so the bar is +0.78 points.In the Clinton 2 term, from 1996 to 2000, US growth was +3.25% a year and the G7 median was +2.58%, so the bar is +0.67 points.In the Bush (W.) 1 term, from 2000 to 2004, US growth was +1.38% a year and the G7 median was +0.87%, so the bar is +0.51 points.In the Bush (W.) 2 term, from 2004 to 2008, US growth was +1.13% a year and the G7 median was +1.20%, so the bar is −0.07 points.In the Obama 1 term, from 2008 to 2012, US growth was +0.14% a year and the G7 median was −0.07%, so the bar is +0.21 points.In the Obama 2 term, from 2012 to 2016, US growth was +1.55% a year and the G7 median was +0.87%, so the bar is +0.68 points.In the Trump 1 term, from 2016 to 2020, US growth was +0.90% a year and the G7 median was −0.76%, so the bar is +1.66 points.In the Biden term, from 2020 to 2024, US growth was +2.94% a year and the G7 median was +2.24%, so the bar is +0.70 points.In the Trump 2 term so far, from 2024 to 2025, US growth was +1.63% a year and the G7 median was +0.70%, so the bar is +0.93 points. A gap of less than 0.25 points is called similar. Measure: GDP per capita, constant 2015 US$: United States (World Bank WDI). Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (NY.GDP.PCAP.KD); sources include OECD national accounts, series NY.GDP.PCAP.KD. For the US agency’s own count, see the first table under “How we counted”: US Bureau of Economic Analysis (NIPA Table 7.1 line 10), series A939RX.
These numbers show what happened during each term. Congress, the courts, the states, the Federal Reserve and events abroad also move them.
How we counted
The bars
Each bar is the US growth rate minus the G7 median for the same years. Growth here is real GDP per person: the value of everything a country produced in a year, divided by the number of people, with price rises taken out. Each rate is the steady growth per year that takes real GDP per person from the year before a term began to the term’s last year. A year counts for the president in office for most of it, so each term owns four calendar years. For the Reagan 1 term, for example, each rate runs from 1980 to 1984.
Why a rate per year? A finished term has four years of data, while the term still running has data only to 2025. A rate per year lets them be compared.
The G7 comparison
To compare countries, every rate on the chart comes from the World Bank, which uses one source and one method for all seven countries, the US included. Its US rate is close to the one from BEA, the US statistics agency, but not always the same. The first table gives both. The median is the middle value, and with six countries it is the average of the middle two. A gap of less than 0.25 points a year is called similar, never faster or slower, and the count above the chart uses the same rule.
Germany is counted in every term. About its figures before 1991, the World Bank says: “GDP data before 1991 are calculated by applying backward GDP growth rates of the former Federal Republic of Germany starting from the first official GDP value for the unified Germany (1991)”
Each term’s growth per person, % a year
| Term | US, BEA | US, BEA by quarter | US, World Bank | G7 median | Gap, points (the bars) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reagan 1 | +2.1% | +2.3% | +2.13% | +1.30% | +0.83 |
| Reagan 2 | +2.9% | +2.9% | +2.88% | +2.95% | −0.07 |
| Bush (H.W.) | +1.0% | +1.0% | +1.01% | +1.90% | −0.89 |
| Clinton 1 | +2.1% | +2.1% | +2.05% | +1.27% | +0.78 |
| Clinton 2 | +3.3% | +3.1% | +3.25% | +2.58% | +0.67 |
| Bush (W.) 1 | +1.4% | +1.5% | +1.38% | +0.87% | +0.51 |
| Bush (W.) 2 | +1.1% | +0.3% | +1.13% | +1.20% | −0.07 |
| Obama 1 | +0.1% | +0.7% | +0.14% | −0.07% | +0.21 |
| Obama 2 | +1.6% | +1.7% | +1.55% | +0.87% | +0.68 |
| Trump 1 | +0.9% | +1.4% | +0.90% | −0.76% | +1.66 |
| Biden | +3.0% | +2.6% | +2.94% | +2.24% | +0.70 |
| Trump 2so far | +1.8% | +1.8% | +1.63% | +0.70% | +0.93 |
“BEA by quarter” is a second count, from BEA’s quarterly figures, that runs from the last quarter before a term to the term’s last quarter. For the running term it reaches the second quarter of 2026.
The second table gives each other G7 country’s own rate from the World Bank, and in each term the median in the first table is the middle of these.
| Term | Canada | France | Germany | Italy | Japan | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reagan 1 | +1.02% | +1.12% | +1.26% | +1.34% | +3.17% | +1.70% |
| Reagan 2 | +2.66% | +2.28% | +2.33% | +3.24% | +4.47% | +4.07% |
| Bush (H.W.) | −1.10% | +1.94% | +3.25% | +1.86% | +3.10% | +0.47% |
| Clinton 1 | +1.78% | +1.04% | +0.63% | +1.34% | +1.19% | +3.38% |
| Clinton 2 | +3.68% | +2.88% | +2.15% | +2.28% | +0.32% | +3.57% |
| Bush (W.) 1 | +1.42% | +0.96% | +0.41% | +0.56% | +0.78% | +1.94% |
| Bush (W.) 2 | +1.20% | +1.21% | +2.25% | +0.15% | +0.92% | +1.20% |
| Obama 1 | +0.15% | −0.07% | +1.15% | −1.99% | −0.07% | −0.78% |
| Obama 2 | +0.72% | +0.52% | +1.01% | +0.10% | +1.46% | +1.56% |
| Trump 1 | −0.69% | −0.83% | −0.08% | −1.32% | −0.40% | −1.62% |
| Biden | +1.55% | +2.67% | +0.96% | +4.02% | +1.80% | +2.74% |
| Trump 2so far | +0.79% | +0.59% | +0.27% | +0.60% | +1.69% | +1.09% |
Changes BEA makes to past years
- Every year: “Annual updates generally cover at least the 5 most recent calendar years ... Comprehensive (or benchmark) updates are carried out at about 5-year intervals and incorporate ... improvements in concepts and methods”
Recessions
Recessions
The recession months follow the dates of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), the group that dates US recessions. NBER counts a recession from the month after the economy’s high point (the peak) through the month of its low point (the trough). Each month counts for the term it falls in, so a recession that runs across two terms counts in both, each with its own months. Source: National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), Business Cycle Dating Committee.
BEA has published this series every year since 1929. We use the World Bank’s figures from 1979 on.
The first budget year of each term
A budget year runs from October to September and is named by the year it ends in. By law, the president’s budget plan is due to Congress by the first Monday in February, for the budget year that starts in October. So a new president’s first budget year was planned by the president in office the winter before, and it was already running on the day the new term began. The first year built on the new president’s own plan starts in October of the first year in office. Congress writes the spending laws, and the president signs or vetoes them. The law listed is the one that set spending for the full budget year.
| Term | First budget year | Budget plan for it sent by | Full-year spending law signed by | Law, and the day it was signed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reagan 1 | 1 Oct 1980 to 30 Sep 1981 | Jimmy Carter | Reagan 1 | Public Law 97-12, 5 Jun 1981 |
| Reagan 2 | 1 Oct 1984 to 30 Sep 1985 | Reagan 1 | Reagan 1 | Public Law 98-473, 12 Oct 1984 |
| Bush (H.W.) | 1 Oct 1988 to 30 Sep 1989 | Reagan 2 | Reagan 2 | Public Law 100-463, 1 Oct 1988 |
| Clinton 1 | 1 Oct 1992 to 30 Sep 1993 | Bush (H.W.) | Bush (H.W.) | Public Law 102-396, 6 Oct 1992 |
| Clinton 2 | 1 Oct 1996 to 30 Sep 1997 | Clinton 1 | Clinton 1 | Public Law 104-208, 30 Sep 1996 |
| Bush (W.) 1 | 1 Oct 2000 to 30 Sep 2001 | Clinton 2 | Clinton 2 | Public Law 106-554, 21 Dec 2000 |
| Bush (W.) 2 | 1 Oct 2004 to 30 Sep 2005 | Bush (W.) 1 | Bush (W.) 1 | Public Law 108-447, 8 Dec 2004 |
| Obama 1 | 1 Oct 2008 to 30 Sep 2009 | Bush (W.) 2 | Obama 1 | Public Law 111-8, 11 Mar 2009 |
| Obama 2 | 1 Oct 2012 to 30 Sep 2013 | Obama 1 | Obama 2 | Public Law 113-6, 26 Mar 2013 |
| Trump 1 | 1 Oct 2016 to 30 Sep 2017 | Obama 2 | Trump 1 | Public Law 115-31, 5 May 2017 |
| Biden | 1 Oct 2020 to 30 Sep 2021 | Trump 1 | Trump 1 | Public Law 116-260, 27 Dec 2020 |
| Trump 2 | 1 Oct 2024 to 30 Sep 2025 | Biden | Trump 2 | Public Law 119-4, 15 Mar 2025 |
What this chart asks
Growth here is the yearly rise in what the US produced per person, with price rises taken out. Each bar takes the median (the middle value) of the other six G7 countries, seven large rich economies, away from US growth over the same years.
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How to read one bar
In the Reagan 1 term, from 1980 to 1984, US growth was +2.13% a year and the G7 median was +1.30%, so the bar is +0.83 points.In the Reagan 1 term, from 1980 to 1984, US growth was +2.13% a year and the G7 median was +1.30%, so the bar is +0.83 points.In the Reagan 2 term, from 1984 to 1988, US growth was +2.88% a year and the G7 median was +2.95%, so the bar is −0.07 points.In the Bush (H.W.) term, from 1988 to 1992, US growth was +1.01% a year and the G7 median was +1.90%, so the bar is −0.89 points.In the Clinton 1 term, from 1992 to 1996, US growth was +2.05% a year and the G7 median was +1.27%, so the bar is +0.78 points.In the Clinton 2 term, from 1996 to 2000, US growth was +3.25% a year and the G7 median was +2.58%, so the bar is +0.67 points.In the Bush (W.) 1 term, from 2000 to 2004, US growth was +1.38% a year and the G7 median was +0.87%, so the bar is +0.51 points.In the Bush (W.) 2 term, from 2004 to 2008, US growth was +1.13% a year and the G7 median was +1.20%, so the bar is −0.07 points.In the Obama 1 term, from 2008 to 2012, US growth was +0.14% a year and the G7 median was −0.07%, so the bar is +0.21 points.In the Obama 2 term, from 2012 to 2016, US growth was +1.55% a year and the G7 median was +0.87%, so the bar is +0.68 points.In the Trump 1 term, from 2016 to 2020, US growth was +0.90% a year and the G7 median was −0.76%, so the bar is +1.66 points.In the Biden term, from 2020 to 2024, US growth was +2.94% a year and the G7 median was +2.24%, so the bar is +0.70 points.In the Trump 2 term so far, from 2024 to 2025, US growth was +1.63% a year and the G7 median was +0.70%, so the bar is +0.93 points. Mark another term and this example follows your mark.
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The rows under each name
Under each name: the term’s years, US growth and the G7 median in % a year, the word for the gap, and the months of recession inside the term, by NBER’s dates (the standard US recession dates). The recession row gives dates only.
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A term to read with care
Trump 2 is still running, so its bar is striped and its rates run only to 2025, the latest year with figures.
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Faster or slower, term by term
The line under the question counts the bars. A gap of less than 0.25 points a year is called similar, as in the word under each bar. The US grew faster in 8 terms, slower in 1 term, similar in 3 terms.
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What the chart can’t say
These numbers show what happened during each term. Congress, the courts, the states, the Federal Reserve and events abroad also move them. How we counted, under the chart, sets out the rule in full, BEA’s own count of US growth and each G7 country’s rate.
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Each term’s numbers
The numbers behind the chart above, as a table for every term, in time order and measured the same way. The median is the middle value of the terms measured.
| Term | On the chart | Period counted | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reagan 1 | +0.83 | 1980 to 1984 | Does not apply | Does not apply |
| Reagan 2 | −0.07 | 1984 to 1988 | Does not apply | Does not apply |
| Bush (H.W.) | −0.89 | 1988 to 1992 | Does not apply | Does not apply |
| Clinton 1 | +0.78 | 1992 to 1996 | Does not apply | Does not apply |
| Clinton 2 | +0.67 | 1996 to 2000 | Does not apply | Does not apply |
| Bush (W.) 1 | +0.51 | 2000 to 2004 | Does not apply | Does not apply |
| Bush (W.) 2 | −0.07 | 2004 to 2008 | Does not apply | Does not apply |
| Obama 1 | +0.21 | 2008 to 2012 | Does not apply | Does not apply |
| Obama 2 | +0.68 | 2012 to 2016 | Does not apply | Does not apply |
| Trump 1 | +1.66 | 2016 to 2020 | Does not apply | Does not apply |
| Biden | +0.70 | 2020 to 2024 | Does not apply | Does not apply |
| Trump 2 so far | +0.93 | 2024 to 2025 | Does not apply | Does not apply |
| Median of the terms measured | +0.68 | |||
How we counted, in short
- Growth against the G7: the chart shows US growth per person, a year, minus the median of the G7 countries. Series: GDP per capita, constant 2015 US$: United States (World Bank WDI). Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (NY.GDP.PCAP.KD); sources include OECD national accounts.
Download this topic’s data (CSV)Every row of every series these tables read, from the first period a term counts, as each agency publishes it.